Duke University filed a lawsuit Tuesday against its star quarterback, Darian Mensah, alleging that he had agreed to stay in Durham before a last-minute announcement that he would explore transfer opportunities.
Mensah, the second-team all-ACC signal caller who led Duke to its first conference football title since 1962, stunned the school last week when he announced he’d be transferring. Enrolling and playing for another school would allow him to license his name, image and likeness to that school in an agreement that could mean more money for Mensah than what he is getting from the Blue Devils.
The school had announced on Dec. 20 that Mensah was staying for at least another football season.
On Tuesday, he was still listed on the school’s 2026 football roster as a redshirt junior, meaning he’d have two more seasons of college eligibility.
Duke and Mensah agreed to a “multi-year contract” in July 2025 that runs through Dec. 31, 2026, according to the school’s lawsuit filed in Durham County Superior Court.
“Duke has met all of its obligations under that contract,” the school’s complaint said. “As recently as December 2025, Mensah affirmed his commitment to Duke University.”
Mensah announced this departure on the last day to enter the transfer portal, “as if his obligations to Duke University do not exist,” the university said in its suit.
Reps for Mensah could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.
The lawsuit includes Mensah’s contract with the school, though payment amounts were redacted.
Mensah’s situation bears some resemblance to the awkward relationship between the University of Washington and its star QB, Demond Williams, Jr.
Williams had allegedly agreed to a new multimillion-dollar name, image and likeness agreement to stay in Seattle before reversing course to enter the transfer portal.
The about-face was particularly acrimonious as Williams announced his planned departure the same day the school was holding a memorial for Mia Hamant, a goalkeeper for the Huskies women’s soccer team who died in November.
The school reportedly threatened legal action before Williams announced he was staying at U-Dub and apologized for the timing of his planned departure.
And 16 months ago, starting UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka quit his 3-0 team, claiming financial commitments to him went unfulfilled.
UNLV and its collective, Friends of UNILV, pushed back on the student-athlete’s allegations.
Sluka left Las Vegas with his final year of eligibility intact. Sluka landed at James Madison where he was a backup for the No. 19 Dukes, throwing 11 passes all year.
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